Halloween Story
by freezingpizza14
Summary: A night out of trick-or-treating for Annabeth, Percy, the Stoll brothers, Thalia, Nico, Grover, and Rachel turns wrong when they encounter monsters and an angry adult demigod because of a prank gone too far. And afterwards at a party back at Camp Half-Blood everyone is trying to find out who the mysterious couple is that no one seems to recognize. *Percabeth/Jasper/slight Tratie*
1. Prologue

***Long summary: A night out trick-or-treating for Annabeth, Percy, the Stoll brothers, Grover, Nico, Thalia, and Rachel turns deadly when Connor and Travis anger an adult demigod with a prank gone too far. Then afterwards a Halloween party at Camp Half-Blood, and a contest to find out who the mysterious couple is that no one can recognize . . . . Set for the Halloween following the Titan war, so before The Heroes of Olympus. Percabeth/slight Jasper in first and last chapters/slight Tratie.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.***

"Hey, what's this?" Leo asked, holding up a photo.

Annabeth sighed. Only three more months to go before the _Argo II_ was finished and they could travel to Camp Jupiter, were Percy will - hopefully - be, but seeing a picture of her and Percy dressed up for Halloween still tore at her heart.

Her, Leo, Piper, and Jason were going through some old pictures of Chiron's. Jason was holding Piper's hand, and Annabeth was glad to see the two were together. If anyone deserved happiness, Piper did, even if Annabeth didn't completely trust Jason. Not yet, anyway.

Annabeth took the photo. "That would be Percy and me on Halloween."

"What?" Leo choked. "That looks nothing like you!"

Annabeth just smiled. She couldn't bring herself to laugh. It was hard to, knowing her quest to Percy would be in three months. It was putting a terrible and unwanted pressure on her chest. It still seemed like just yesterday that Percy had kissed her goodnight and ran back to his cabin. She couldn't remember a time after Hera had whisked him away that she'd been as happy as she was that night. Now it felt like a distant memory, one already fading away and leaving her to face brutal reality . . . Percy was with the Romans, and she didn't know if he even remembered her or not.

"I know," she said. "Aphrodite really did a good job, didn't she?"

Piper raised an eyebrow. "Mom dressed you up?"

"And Percy," said Annabeth. "No one recognized us, and the only ones who knew who we were were Connor and Travis, Thalia, Nico, Grover, and Rachel."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Leo asked.

"It's a long story." Annabeth looked down at the photo.

"Oh, do tell," Piper said in a sing-song voice. "I love a good story."

"Yes, do tell," a voice said. Annabeth turned. Chiron was standing in the doorway, leaning on a walking stick. "This I must hear."

Annabeth blushed. "Well, it started the night before Halloween . . ." she started.


	2. Ch 1: Costumes for Halloween

***Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's. And please note that this will not be a very long story.* **

*Chapter 1: Costumes for Halloween*

Connor and Travis Stoll found Percy and me in a very unflattering way.

We were sitting (more like hiding) in the strawberry patch. My back was against Percy's chest, his arms wrapped around my waist. Ever since we started dating on his birthday, I was glad to find we hadn't changed or outgrew our 'patterns.' We still bickered, and I still kicked his butt, but the only difference was there was more flirting . . . and, yes, kissing too. We got a long lecture from Chiron about that. It was pretty embarassing.

Another fun perk to being in a relationship was that if Percy did something wrong or thought he did, he became afraid that I would be mad at him. I thought it was cute and sweet that he tried so hard.

"Percy?" I asked him, softly rubbing my fingers across his arm, tracing from his thumb to his elbow.

"Hmm?" His eyes snapped open. He was on the brink of falling asleep, due to the curse of Achilles.

"Why are we hiding in the strawberries again?" Percy had insisted we come out here. He'd tried to explain, but all I got out of it was "Connor . . ." and "trick-or-treating." It was Halloween tomorrow, and I didn't blame Percy for wanting to stay away from the Stoll brothers. This was their time to whip up the evilest of pranks, and everyone they got a hold of was a target.

Percy rested his chin on top of my head. "Connor and Travis. I saw them with a box of water balloons. And I don't think they were filled with water."

"Oh?" I laughed. "Why's that?"

"Because they're not," two voices said in unison. Percy and I both jumped. Travis and Connor were standing beside us, both with wicked grins on their faces.

"If you try anything I swear to all the gods . . ." I threatened.

Travis raised his hands. "We're unarmed! Actually, we were wondering if you wanted to come with us tomorrow night."

"Come with you to what?" Percy asked curiously.

"Trick-or-treating," said Connor.

"Um," Percy said, "We're a little old for that, don't you think?"

Connor scoffed. "Old! Dude, you're never to old to trick-or-treat. Besides, you'll be with a bunch of friends. It's better when you're with friends."

"Who's going?" I asked.

Travis listed off names on his fingers. "Me, Connor, Rachel, Nico, hopefully Thalia, but I figured she'd only go if you went, Annabeth-Grover, and Percy."

I looked over my shoulder at Percy. "What do you say? Want to go trick-or-treating?"

Percy bit his lip. "Will we be back in time for the party?"

Ah, the party. Something Chiron throws every year. It was fun to see the costumes people came up with. Speaking of costumes . . .

"What are we going to wear?" I told Percy. "We only have until tomorrow to find costumes!"

"Then you'd better get shopping!" Connor said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Arg! I can't find anything!" I groaned. Thalia, Katie, Clarisse, Rachel and I were at the Halloween store. I had to admit, they had some pretty impressive stuff. I think the best part was when a life-sized Ghost Face figure jumped out at Thalia, who shrieked and did a high kick to its face, knocking the plastic head right off. A poor little girl who'd been standing near by screamed and ran off, leaving the mother to shoot us dirty looks and chase after her daughter. Luckily it wasn't a real person. I couldn't keep track of the number of times Thalia apologized to the employers as they tried to reattach the head.

By the time we finally left the store, everyone had a costume but me and Thalia, who'd decided she was going to go as herself. Rachel would be a police officer, and Clarisse was a biker, which wasn't really shocking. Katie wanted to be a nymph, probably to gain the attention of Travis.

"Why a police officer?" I asked Rachel, who was happily swinging her bag at her side. I was glad we'd became friends after the Titan war. She was really fun to hang out with, and I realized the only reason I'd disliked her before was because of Percy, as mean as that sounds.

"Because I figured I'd get dirty looks if I tried to go as Aphrodite," Rachel sighed. No one questioned it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .

When we got back, I found Percy waiting for me.

"Hey." I kissed him, still loving the fact that I could do so. "Did you find a costume?"

"No," he pouted. "But everyone else did. I couldn't pick. Did you?"

"Nope." I sat down beside him. "Guess we'll just have to-"

"Improvise?" a girly voice said. I blinked, and suddenly a woman appeared in front of us. Percy's jaw dropped, and I couldn't help feeling a little jealous. The woman was beautiful, and seemed to get even more beautiful every time I blinked. Her appearance was constantly changing, her hair changing from straight blond shoulder-length hair to lush brown curls, and her makeup was perfect. "I think not."

"Aphrodite?" I said, seeing as Percy was clearly unable to speak at the moment. I swore I thought I could even see a bit of drool. Annoyed, I pushed his mouth closed. "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies, Seaweed Brain."

He managed to tear his eyes away from Aphrodite. "What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing."

Aphrodite smiled. "You're too sweet. And don't worry about costumes, I have something perfect planned. When I'm done with you, no one will recognize either of you."

"What do you mean?" I said, but Aphrodite just held a finger to her lips.

"Patience, my dear. Now, you two will go to Percy's appartment tomorrow to get ready. I've already arranged it with Sally."

"Uh . . . okay?" Percy managed to say.

Aphrodite smiled. "Excellent. I'll see you two tomorrow, then!" Percy and I covered our eyes as Aphrodite dissapeared in a flash of pink light, a wiff of her perfume still lingering in the air.

After she was gone, I looked at Percy. "After she's done with us, no one will recognize us? What in Hades does that mean?"

"I think it means tomorrow will be a long day," Percy said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I think you're right," I murmured, already dreading tomorrow.


	3. Ch 2: Happy Halloween

***Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.* **

*Chapter 2: Happy Halloween*

When I woke that morning, my first thought was, _it's Halloween!_

Then I remembered I was supposed to go to Percy's apartment, and groaned. I sat up, nearly screaming out loud when my gray eyes met a pair of green ones.

"Hey," Percy said. "I was about to wake you. After breakfast, Aphrodite wants us to leave to . . . get ready." He hesitated, apparently not wanting to say the words 'get ready.'

I threw the covers back. "Okay, I'm coming."

After breakfast, Percy and I told Chiron where we will be.

"What?" Connor said. "It's going to take you all day to get ready?"

"And by _Aphrodite?"_ Thalia added, crossing her arms.

"Apparently," I sighed. "We'll see you guys tonight. We're coming back here for the party, right, Connor?"

Connor grinned. "Of course."

Argus drove Percy and me to his apartment. Unsurprisingly, Aphrodite was already waiting for us. She was in a floor-length red gown, her legs crossed as she sat on the couch with Percy's mother.

"Hi, sweetheart." Sally kissed Percy on the cheek and hugged me. I loved Percy's mom; we especially grew close after she found out Percy and I were dating.

Aphrodite stood. "Come on, Annabeth, dear. You first. It's going to take a little while, I'm afraid."

"Oh joy," I groaned.

Sally smiled. "We'll be waiting out here."

I followed Aphrodite to the bathroom, and gasped. There was a mountain of makeup and hair products, dye, jewelry, etc. Hanging up I saw two long plastic bags, which I knew were Percy's and my costumes.

"I am not dying my hair!" I said, fingering my golden curls nervously.

Aphrodite waved me off. "But it's an essential part of the character, dear. And besides, it'll wash out when you shower."

I bit my lip.

"Trust me," she said. "You'll look great." She steered me to a chair and plopped me down in it. "Now, stay still. I have a lot of work to do."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At long last, Aphrodite was finished.

"You can open your eyes now," she said.

Almost afraid to, I slowly opened one eye, then the other. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked nothing like myself. Oh, Hades . . . . what was I wearing?

"Do you like it?" Aphrodite asked, apparently proud of her work.

"Uh . . ." I didn't know what to say. I certainly did not look like myself. My makeup was perfect, and so was my hair, despite the fact that it was now brown and in soft waves that traveled down my back instead of my curly locks.

Aphrodite squealed. "Perfect! Now go talk with Sally while I get Percy ready."

I swallowed. If Aphrodite could manage to make me look like this, I can't imagine what she'll do to Percy.

When I entered the living room, Percy wasn't there, but Sally was, and Paul. When they saw me, they both gasped.

"Annabeth, you look beautiful!" Sally said.

I smiled shyly. "Thank you."

"Wow, I didn't even recognize you when you came in," Paul commented.

"Aphrodite can do that," I told them. When I looked behind me, the bathroom door was closed, and Aphrodite was already getting to work.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Thalia's POV)

"Where are they?" I asked. Rachel, Connor, Travis, Nico, Grover and I were standing by my pine tree on top of the hill waiting for Percy and Annabeth.

Connor and Travis were dressed as Ghost Face, from the Scream movies.

"Why are you two dressed the same?" Rachel asked. She was a police officer. She even had a plastic gun at her hip.

"Because there are always two killers in the Scream movies," Travis explained. "One who everyone knows, but there's always an unexpected second killer. It's the movies' trademark."

"Ah," Rachel said, though she looked a little confused.

A car's headlights suddenly lit up the tree, and a car came to a stop, two figures stepping out. Me and the others headed down to meet them.

I peered at them. They certainly seemed familiar . . . .

"Who are you?" Travis called. The two figures stopped and looked at one another. When they moved in front of the headlights, I could see who they were dressed as: Captain Jack Sparrow and Angelica, Jack's . . . what is she, exactly? His lover? I had to admit, they did a pretty good job. They looked almost exactly like Jack and Angelica.

"You don't recognize us?" the Angelica look-alike called.

I squinted. Rachel gasped. "Percy? Annabeth!"

Everyone else gasped, too.

"No way!" Travis and Connor said. "Dude, you guys look amazing!"

"We didn't even recognize you," Nico added, who was dressed in silk black robes. I think he was supposed to be Hades. Or maybe Voldemort.

Percy and Annabeth grinned. They waved to the person in the car, who I could now see was Sally, before she drove off.

"That is so cool!" Grover reached out to touch Percy's beard, but Percy smacked his hand away.

"Don't touch, mate! It took forever to glue this on," he said, putting on a surprisingly good accent.

"Are you guys wearing contacts? Your eyes are brown," Rachel asked.

"Yup," Annabeth said. "Aphrodite's work."

"Aphrodite, huh?" Grover smiled. "I'm not surprised." Grover was wearing a shirt covered in green leaves, brown pants, and had a crown woven with grass and leaves on his head. Was he supposed to be Pan?

"Let's get going! The sooner we get candy, the sooner we can come back for the party," said Travis, and we started the walk down the long street.

"Angelica is supposed to have an accent, too, you know," I said to Annabeth as we walked, who was hand-in-hand with Percy. I had to admit, Aphrodite's pick was pretty accurate for Percy and Annabeth, though I was half expecting her to dress them up as Romeo and Juliet, or Helen and Troy.

"I know," she said, "I tried, but I'm not very good at it."

"And yet Percy's got Jack Sparrow down," Connor laughed.

"You bet," Percy said, making the rest of us laugh.

I wish I hadn't swapped out my comfortable jeans for a skirt. It was cold. At least I had my jacket, which I pulled tighter around myself to shut out the cold wind. I was also on my guard. I had my knives hidden everywhere, just in case we were ambushed. A bunch of demigods out in the open was very dangerous. I knew Annabeth had her knife, and Percy had his sword. Strangely, their weapons actually fit with their costumes.

"Time to get some tricks in before we get the treats," Travis said to his brother, and Connor agreed. They both pulled their masks down over their faces and slunk away from the group, dissapearing into the shadows.

"Guys!" I called, but they were already gone.

"Oh, boy," Annabeth sighed. "Be prepared to run." We all nodded in agreement.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

***Here are the costumes, don't make fun of me, I'm a nerd.***

**Percy - Jack Sparrow**

**Annabeth - Angelica (Pirates of the Caribbean 4)**

**Travis - Ghost Face #1 (Scream)**

**Connor - Ghost Face #2 **

**Thalia - herself**

**Nico - Hades (Or Voldemort)**

**Rachel - police officer**

**Grover - Pan**


	4. Ch 3: Halloween Surprises

***I sincerely apoligize for this being late. School literally got in the way, but it's the weekend now. Hope you all had a good Halloween.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.* **

*Chapter 3: Halloween Surprises*

(Thalia)

The wait was terrible. The others and I were ready to run if Travis and Connor's prank went bad.

"Guys," Percy said in his fake accent. He pointed. "Look."

Travis and Connor were sneaking up the steps of an old two-story house. Luckily, no other kids were there. Did I just call Travis and Connor kids? Yeah, I did. Suddenly they pulled balloons out of their robes and threw them at the door, exploding in a shower of brown, white, and yellow.

"Ew, what in Hades is that?" Annabeth said, wrinkling her nose. We watched as Travis and Connor ran off, and a few seconds they were back at our sides.

A man in his late thirties opened the door, peering at the mess Travis and Connor made. "You kids are in big trouble!" he yelled out into the night. "May Hades curse you!" Then, in a move none of us were expecting, he pulled out a Celestial Bronze spear. Unfortunately for us, he saw us.

"Run!" Rachel yelled. She didn't have to tell me twice. I turned on my heels and ran, the others right behind me.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank Zeus, we finally lost the crazed man.

"Do not-do that-again," Nico panted, his hands on his knees.

"Yeah, let's hold off on the rest of the pranks for now," Connor huffed.

Things got more normal as we continued on. We noticed a lot of people were staring at Percy and Annabeth. One girl even came up to Percy and asked if he could sign her T-shirt.

"Awe, you guys are famous," Rachel joked at one point.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha." I could tell she was silently cursing Aphrodite in her head.

Travis and Connor wanted to be creepy, so every time one of them would get candy they'd ask, "So, what's your favorite scary movie?" in a creepy voice. They'd just nervously laugh and quickly shut the door.

As the night went by a cold feeling was spreading over me, and I don't think it was the wind. The house we were approaching at the end of the col-de-sac was illuminated by the porch light. The rest of the house was surrounded by shadows, and my hand crept to my knife hidden in my sleeve. The lady who lived there was sitting on her porch, a large bowl of candy in her hands. My mouth started watering. Were those gummy cheeseburgers? My hand slipped off my knife and fell back at my side.

As soon as we got our candy we started back down the long driveway. My eyes were darting around, trying to detect any monsters lurking in the darkness. Maybe it was my imagination, but I could have sworn I heard a hissing noise. I saw Percy and Nico doing the same. It was dangerous for all of us to be out into the open, especially being together, but we had our weapons.

My eyes met a pair of brown - normally green - ones, and Percy nodded. He had his hand in his pocket, where I knew Riptide was to be.

"Where to next?" Grover asked. "My bag's so full I don't think anymore candy will fit."

"Same here," Percy agreed. Apparently he was going to keep up that accent all night. I didn't know whether to laugh or slap him.

"Lets hit a couple more houses," Connor suggested. Everyone looked at him.

He raised his hands. "For candy, no pranks, I swear!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Annabeth)

We hit a couple more houses. I had to admit, even though we'd lost that guy with the spear hours ago, I was still cautious. I let my arm that wasn't holding my candy swing freely at my side, since Percy had his hand in his pocket, no doubt on his sword. I couldn't blame him.

"Time to head back to camp for the party!" Thalia said happily.

"Oh guys, look!" Nico pointed. "A haunted house."

"We should go," I said. "I like haunted houses. Unless you guys are scared." I smirked.

"Scared?" Travis scoffed. "I don't think so. Come on, guys." Percy, Nico, Grover, and Connor followed him, leaving me, Thalia, and Rachel to follow.

"Boys," Thalia muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Tell me about it," Rachel agreed. All of us grinned. Eventually we caught up with the boys, and together the eight of us marched into the haunted house.

It wasn't scary, really. We've all seen monsters that were either ten times as ugly or ten times better looking.

At one point, however, a spider on a string popped out in front of me. I screamed and all but jumped into Percy's arms. For the rest of the way he kept his arm around me, which I really didn't mind.

When a guy in bloody ripped up clothes came at Thalia, she didn't even flinch. "Do you need a hug?" she asked, holding out her arms. The man looked flustered and confused, but he stepped foward and hugged her anyway. The rest of us cracked up.

Once when we were in complete darkness, Rachel reached out and grabbed Nico's shoulder. Nico jumped so bad he ran into Grover, who ran into Percy, who ran into me. Travis, Connor, and Thalia laughed.

When we finally reached the end, the Grim Reaper was standing at the door. He gave us T-shirts that read CONGRATS! YOU SURVIVED THE HAUNTED HOUSE! We stuffed them in our candy bags and continued the walk back to camp.

A cold feeling washed over me, and I shivered, leaning into Percy. Why couldn't Aphrodite had picked an outfit with pants? This skirt was starting to annoy me. Not to mention that my shirt, though cute, was way too revealing.

"Guys," Percy whispered. "Stop. _Stop." _

"What's wrong, Percy?" Thalia asked, her hand creeping to her knife.

"We're being followed. At first I wasn't sure, but . . ."

I hate it when Percy was right.

A pair of _dracenae_ leaped out and lunged at us, fangs bared. No greetings, no pep-talk, just lung-and-kill. It was pretty reckless for their part.

The first clawed at Percy. She didn't even have time to blink before Percy swung his sword and hit the side of her neck. She exploded in a cloud of monster dust. The second, or Ugly Number Two, swiped her claws at Nico, her nail scratching his cheek and drawing blood. Thanks to Thalia, she didn't get to do too much damage.

"What in Hades?" Nico said, gingerly touching the side of his face.

"We'll get you some Ambrosia for that back at camp," I said. "Come on, we have to head back before we get ambushed again."

For the rest of the walk back, I held on tightly to Percy's hand and completely forgot the man from the house Connor and Travis had pranked earlier.

I wish I hadn't.


	5. Ch 4: Party Crasher

***Sorry for the wait, even though it is way past Halloween . . . again, sorry. I've had writer's block for this, but I'll finish it up, promise.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.* **

*Chapter 4: Party Crasher*

(Annabeth)

"Wait here," Connor told me and Percy when we'd gotten back to camp.

"Why?" I asked. Knowing Connor and his brother, it couldn't be good.

"Because, if we couldn't recognize you guys, we want to see if other people will," Travis said. "It'll be so funny."

"We could turn it into a contest," Rachel joked, but by the way Travis and Connor's eyes lit up, I could tell they were considering the idea and possibilities, the result probably not going to be good.

"Excellent!" Travis said. "Good idea, Rachel."

"Yeah, thanks, Rachel," said Percy sarcastically. Rachel just shot him an apoligetic smirk.

"Wait here, guys," Connor told us, and Percy and I watched as the others headed for the mess hall where the party was being held.

"Well, this will not be fun," Percy sighed.

"Try wearing a skirt," was all I told him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Connor)

As Travis, myself, and the others entered the party, we'd apparently caught it in full swing.

Skeleton lights were hanging from the ceilings in a variety of colors, the room itself was dimly lit with a couple of strobe lights. Chiron had even managed to add a smoke machine. There were fake cobwebs everywhere. All of the dining tables were in the middle of the mess hall as one long table with so much food, cakes, and awesome Halloween treats my mouth started to water. Some goulish music was playing, that probably came straight from Chiron's pile of records.

Last came the costumes. I had to admit, everyone looked pretty good. I saw everything, from devils to angels to cats, pirates, werewolves, vampires, and even Cupid. There were plenty of masks, so a lot of people I didn't recognize. Out of all the costumes, though, I don't think any beat Percy and Annabeth's.

"Hey!" Travis yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Listen up!"

The music stopped. Everyone turned to look at us.

I lifted my mask off my face. "So, guys," I started. "How about we make this party a little more interesting?"

The crowd shifted.

"Interesting how?" a girl called, wearing a Biker's outfit. I realized it was Clarisse.

"So, any second now two people are about to walk in here. Their costumes were personally made by Aphrodite," I said. People gasped. "Yes, I know. Well, when we first saw them, we didn't recognie them. We know who they are-"

"Where are you going with this, Stoll?" Clarisse asked lazily.

"Well, if you'd stop inturrupting, we'd tell you," Travis said, then flinched back when Clarisse glared at him.

"Anyway," I continued, "so here's how it's going to go. The first people to guess who they are, wins a pumpkin full of candy." He gestured to where a giant pumkin lay in the middle of the large table. The crowd stirred with excitement.

"But there are rules," Travis added. Everyone groaned.

"I thought you two didn't believe in rules," Chiron joked. He had a long, fake white beard and a long brown jacket. A duster, I think it was called.

"We don't," I said easily.

"Unless we're breaking them," Travis remarked, winking at Katie Gardener, who was dressed as a nymph in a short brown dress, her skin painted green. She giggled.

"No one can talk to them," I said. "Just in case you recognize their voices. And you can't ask them for hints or make them give any sign of their identity. Understood?"

Everyone agreed.

"Good. Travis, Chiron and I will be the judges. If no one wins, we get the candy for ourselves." Travis grinned at me, and I grinned back. There was no way someone will guess correctly. There were over one hundred fifty people here. The candy was as good as ours.

"Oh, and one more thing!" I added. "No one can ask Rachel, Thalia, Grover, or Nico, either! And they can't tell you. The two coming in are dressed as Jack Sparrow and Angelica. And if any of you don't know who that is, something is seriously wrong with you. That is all." The music cut back on, but everyone whispered amongst themselves, too excited about the contest.

I turned to Thalia. "Go get them," I told her. "This is about to turn interest-oomph! Hey, buddy, watch it!" I said to a guy in a Grimm Reaper costume, who just merely drifted off without glancing back after bumping into me. He was pretty tall, and covered from head to toe. I looked at Travis, who merely shrugged. We carried on, not giving the guy in the Reaper costume a second thought.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Annabeth)

After Thalia came for us, explaining the stupid contest and rules, the three of us head to the mess hall. Apparently everyone wanted that candy, because as soon as Percy and I walked in, we were being surrounded.

"Oh my _gods, _you two look fabulous!" an Aphrodite girl exclaimed.

"Is it true Aphrodite made your costumes?" another asked.

"Who are you?" Clarisse said.

"We said you couldn't ask that!" Travis yelled.

Clarisse shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"Come on, buzz off, guys," Connor said. He and Thalia pulled Percy and me through the crowd, to the long table full of food.

"Brownies!" Percy said, his fake accent never wavering as he reached for a brownie. "But no rum." A lot of people hovered, hoping to ID us, but frowned with dissapointment when they were unable to recognize Percy's voice.

The night went pretty well, despite the fact that the only people Percy and I could talk to were ourselves, Travis and Connor, Grover, Thalia, Rachel, Nico, and Chiron. I was surprised no one recognized me, at least. I didn't have a fake beard or anything covering my face. Although my hair was now brown and in soft waves. There were so many people and so many costumes that we could be anybody.

On one or more occasion when Percy and I were dancing together someone would try to slip in between us, in the hopes that they could find out who I was if I talked to them, but I'd just smile, step around them, and go back into Percy's arms.

For the entire party I stayed by Percy's side, with the excpetion of one dance with Thalia. I admit, I was a little jealous that Percy was getting stares from a lot of girls. But Percy either didn't notice or just ignored it. When I'd look at him to see if he noticed the girls he'd just grin at me, and I couldn't help but grin back. He gently tugged me into his side, where I happily stayed the rest of the night. Well, almost.

It was almost eleven, which meant the party would be ending soon. So far, no one had been able to guess who Percy and I were, which meant that Travis and Connor would get the pumkin full of candy.

Percy, Travis, Connor, and I were standing together near the table. I couldn't help but notice that a guy in a Grimm Reaper costume was hovering a little too close. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slowly reach into the sleeve of his robe and pull out-

"Watch out!" I yelled, and pulled Percy out of the way just as a bronze knife slashed in the air where Percy had been standing just moments before.


	6. Ch 5: Greg the Party Crasher

***This will be finished soon, now that it is Thanksgiving break and I don't have to feel guilty about writing instead of doing my homework. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.* **

*Chapter 5: Greg the Party Crasher*

(Annabeth)

What in Hades just happened?

One minute I was laughing and having a good time, then some guy in a Grimm Reaper costume decided to swipe at my boyfriend with a knife.

I pulled my knife out of my belt and prepared to strike, but before I could, the guy suddenly charged passed me, right for Travis and Connor.

"Woah, man, chill out!" Travis yelled, dodging out of the way. I looked around. Everyone was ignoring us, completely oblivious to the fact that we were being attacked, too caught up in the party, the music blocking out the noise we were making.

I huffed out angrily and, my ADHD getting the best of me, I grabbed the guy by the collar and yanked him back from Percy, Travis, and Connor, holding my knife to his throat and yanking off his mask with my free hand.

"You're that sycho that tried to kill us with your spear!" Connor said.

"I'm not a sycho, I'm Greg," the man said. "And I'm so _sick_ of sons of Hermes."

"What? Why, what has Hermes done to you?" Travis asked.

"He left me to die, that's what!" Greg bellowed angrily. "Gave me a quest, he did, then when I needed his help, bleeding to death, he just left me there, the no good, rotten son of a-"

"Greg, please," I inturrupted before he could finish his dirty comment. "I understand that you're angry at Hermes, but there's no reason to take it out on his kids."

"It's Halloween, mate. No need to get your panties in a bunch. Savy?" Percy's sword shrunk back into a pen, which he put back into his pocket.

Greg looked at him weirdly. "Are you British or something?"

I face palmed. Only Percy.

"Just put your knife away, and we can talk like decent people, alright?" I slowly put away my knife. "Just put the knife down, Greg. You don't want to hurt anyone. There are kids here."

Greg hesitated. "Alright," he finally agreed, and put his knife back in his sleeve.

"How'd you get in here?" Connor asked. "Into camp, I mean."

"I'm a demigod, kid," Greg said. "I used to come here every summer. Then Hermes set me up, and I never came back."

"That's aweful," I said softly. I understood where Greg was coming from. Sometimes the gods weren't exactly friendly with their children, or to other people's children, for that matter. It was mean of me, but sometimes the gods only use us for their own selfish reasons.

"Who's your parent, then?" Travis asked, reaching for a brownie. Percy copied him, cramming the entire thing into his mouth. I swear he has four stomachs.

"Nemesis," Greg said bitterly.

Percy choked. "You're Ethan's brother?" he gasped.

"Who?" Greg said.

"No one. Never mind." Percy turned scarlet, and he reached for another brownie.

"Well," Connor said, "If, um, you want to . . . I don't know, stay for the party, you know, as long as you don't try to kill us."

"Sorry kid," Greg said. "My business was done here with this camp twelve years ago. I'm sorry. For everything. I've held a grudge for so long . . ."

"It's cool," Connor said. "You aren't the first person who's tried to kill us."

"And he certainly won't be the last," Travis added under his breath.

"Wait," I called as Greg turned to leave. "How . . . how did you survive to adulthood, if you didn't come back to camp?"

"My wife, Lily," Greg said softly. "After I met her, I wasn't afraid of anything. We were partners, for fighting, for everything."

"What do you mean, were?" I asked.

Greg turned away. "She died two years ago. Cyclopes attack." He took a shaky breath, then looked at Percy and me. "Don't let her go, kid," Greg told him. "You never know what could happen out there. One minute she could be there, the next minute she's not."

He turned on his heel and left. We watched him go. And I suddenly didn't feel like partying any more, a horrible feeling spreading in my stomach that something was about to go terribly wrong real soon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Alright, it's almost midnight!" Travis yelled. Everyone turned to look at him. "Any more guesses?" He looked around. "None? Well alright then."

Chiron chuckled and stepped foward. It was so quiet you could hear a pen drop. "Well, since the party is nearly over, I guess Travis and Connor win the pumkin."

"Yes!" Travis and Connor high-fived each other.

"Percy, Annabeth, would you two do the honors and hand the Stolls their prize?" Chiron asked, his eyes sparkling.

Grinning, Percy and I walked hand in hand to the front. People gasped as we came into view. Then an explosion of voices suddenly went off.

"WHAT?" Clarisse yelled. "It was Prissy and Princess all along?"

"I KNEW IT!" another demigod in a bee costume yelled.

People were muttering and yelling. Percy couldn't stop grinning. I just smiled, though a horrible cold feeling was washing over me. Ever since Greg left, I couldn't get his last words out of my mind.

"I should have known," Katie Gardener laughed. "Only Percy and Annabeth could pull off being Jack and Angelica, they quirrel so much."

"Hey!" Percy and I said. "We do not."

Clarisse trudged foward and yanked lightly at Percy's beard.

"Ouch, Clarisse." He slapped her hand away.

"What did you do, glue it on?" She scoffed.

"Aphrodite did it!" Percy muttered.

I grabbed the pumkin off the table and handed it to Travis, who held it over his head in triumph. Connor took a bow as everyone applauded.

"And a special thanks to Aphrodite," Connor said, making everyone, especially the guys, I noticed, applaud louder. A wiff of sweet-smelling perfume adorned the air, which told us Aphrodite had heard him.

I hugged Percy close to me. It made me wonder if we were going to live out our lives together, or if one of us ends up getting killed.

I didn't even want to think about what would happen if I lost him. I don't think I could face the heartache.


	7. Epilogue

***Last chapter. Thank you for reading this, even though it took a while to finish, I owe you guys one. Hopefully I'll have something up for Thanksgiving by Thursday, if I'm not too busy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Rick Riordan's.* **

*Chapter 6: Epilogue*

(Annabeth)

"I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more." -Christina Perri

"Wow," Piper said softly. Her, Jason, Leo, and Chiron were sitting around me. Chiron had tears in his eyes, and I knew he secretly missed Percy just as much as the rest of us do.

"Well, Greg was right, wasn't he?" Leo said. "Two months later he gets kidnapped by Tia-I mean Hera."

"I know!" I snapped, furiously trying to blink away my unshed tears. I rubbed my eyes. "Sorry, Leo, I just . . ."

"Yeah, it's cool." Leo offered a small smile. "But only two more months to wait, right?"

I smiled back. Sort of. It was more of a grimace. "Right." I stood. "I'll see you guys later," I told them, then left, suddenly wanting to be left alone. I didn't know where I was going, exactly. I just let my feet take me where they wanted. I kicked off my shoes and started walking barefoot. There was one thing I left out about that night, a very private moment from the last hour of that night . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_"Percy, where are you taking me?" I asked, even though I already knew where we were headed: the beach. It sort of became our place, next to the canoe lake where we'd been tossed in the first night we'd started dating on his birthday. _

_"I want to give . . . um, I have . . . never mind," he choked. "I'll show you when we get there." _

_"What happened to the accent, Captain?" I grinned. "Is Captain Jack Sparrow suddenly too good to have an accent?"_

_He rolled his eyes at me. "Ha-ha. You didn't even attempt to put on a fake accent."_

_"Oh shut up." I lightly punched his shoulder, then looped my arm through his._

_The waves were gently crashing against the sand, and I could smell the salty breeze of the water. Or maybe that was just Percy. I stopped and turned. "Okay, what is it you want to show me, Seaweed Brain?"_

_"Um." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and red._

_"What is that?" I asked. "Coral?"_

_"Yeah," said Percy. "I got it when I was at my Dad's underwater place."_

_"It's beautiful," I murmured. "You know, for a piece of coral."_

_Percy laughed. "Good. Because I wanted to give it to you."_

_I looked up from the piece of red in my hands. "Really?"_

_"Yeah." Percy shrugged. "No big deal." _

_It was my turn to roll my eyes, and I tackled him in a hug. "Thank you," I murmured against his neck._

_"Welcome," he said back, and it was a few seconds before I realized I was squeezing him. I pulled back just enough to kiss him._

_"I should give you stuff more often," he muttered against my mouth, and I laughed. The cold feeling I'd been feeling earlier was gone, and I hoped with Percy, it would stay that way. _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

But it didn't. Percy wasn't here, and the cold feeling kept coming back and pressing on me more and more the closer we got to finishing the _Argo II. _

I plopped down onto the sand, wishing Percy were here beside me now. Being here on the beach didn't feel the same without him. To make matters worse, all of the happy memories I'd ever had with Percy were starting to seem like distant memories.

"We're coming, Percy," I murmured, running my thumb softly over the coral pendant now on my necklace next to my dad's college ring. "Don't give up on me just yet."

***Hope it was alright. Anyway, so. I've already got plans for my next story, that might be a kind of tear-jerker in the first chapter, but it's not a sad story, I assure you. I want to know if I should start it, or not. Tell me what you think.**

**A monster - I like to think one of the eidolons - takes over Annabeth's body and tries to kill the baby as she's giving birth. The baby makes it, but Annabeth dies. Heartbroken Percy lets Athena take his daughter away to keep her safe. Now seven years later Athena returns to tell her - her name is Carter - that she must go to New York and find her father. With the help of two friends, Will and Harper, Carter must find Percy and stop the monster that had tried to kill her as a baby. She also discovers that Athena may be keeping a dark secret. Some old characters returning, like Percy, Athena, Chiron, and Thalia. Maybe Sally. Annabeth will not be magically coming back to life. Or will she?***


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